Reading Time: 3 minutes

Welcome back. I hope you are (reasonably) well (or maybe just surviving) in these difficult times. Regardless, thank you for tuning in on another blog post about the We Have Great Stuff – Volume 3 colouring book.

It’s a new year and a new semester. But 2021 has not gotten off to the great start we all hoped for, however there are still some 300 and odd days left for it to become better than 2020 probably was for a lot of us. For me personally, due to circumstances being what they are, I am staying with my parents in Copenhagen for the time being, which means I miss the beauty and ruggedness of Edinburgh. I am therefore very happy to continue work on the colouring book project, because it offers me a connection to Edinburgh, as well as serving as a creative mental and mindful break from my studies both in terms of me making art but also in exploring the vast scope of beautiful items held in the Centre for Research Collections.

Following the last blog post about my process of turning a picture into a sketch for colouring, I have created a series of short videos of my drawings coming to life. I got the idea from similar videos of the creation of paintings/drawings/other art on Instagram and Pinterest, where you see the whole thing from blank canvas to finished product in a few minutes. To me, these videos are not only a fascinating glimpse into the making of art, but they too offer a mental break: for me, they have a meditative component that make them compelling and relaxing to watch. Hopefully, mine will be the same.

For some of the drawings, I have added quotes, which are meant to inspire and remind you that we will get through this.

Along with the videos, I provide the final drawings, and you are more than welcome to colour them in, if you need a creative pause to combat your zoom fatigue or need some colour in this otherwise very grey January (in Denmark at least, it is grey with a tiny bit of white in the form of snow). As always, if you do colour some of them, please do not hesitate to share the outcome on social media using the hashtags #WeHaveGreatStuff and #WeAreEdinburgh.

I hope you enjoy the videos and my drawings,

Marta

Some Recommendations

If you find yourself in need of more regulated and guided breaks, that offers you a change to take stock of how you’re doing, the Chaplaincy runs multiple sessions a week. These include mindful doodling on Tuesdays and mindfulness sessions on Tuesdays and Fridays. (These are for university students and staff only).

Chaplaincy Events

If you find yourself in Edinburgh, and like me struggle to get fresh air, check out Curious Edinburgh, another University of Edinburgh project, that make mobile walking tours on Edinburgh’s scientific and community heritage.

Curious Edinburgh

The Videos and Drawings

1. Celtic Knot with Audrey Hepburn Quote

  • Title: Wandering Willie’s Tale
    • Creator: Sir Walter Scott
    • Alternate title: Front cover of an edition of Sir Walter Scott’s Wandering Willie’s Tale
    • Item/Collection reference: 0030094d
    • Collection name: Walter Scott Image Collection
  • The quote is:
    • “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible’!”

2. Manuscript Illustration with Martin Luther King Jr Quote

  • Title: Kulliyat
    • Creator: Sa’di
    • Item/Collection reference: 0001030c
    • Collection name: Oriental Manuscripts
  • The quote is:
    • “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”

3. Frame with William Shakespeare Quote

This is the frame of a John Knox portrait.

  • Title: John Knox (1509-1572)
    • Creator: Theodore de Beze (b.1519, d.1605)
    • Item/Collection reference: 0041844c
    • Collection name: Museums
  • The quote is from Sonnet 10:
    • “Be as thy presence is, gracious and kind,
    • Or to thyself at least kind-hearted prove.”

4. Informatics Forum Spiral Staircase with Dolly Parton quote

  • The quote is:
    • “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”

5. Old Moray House Ceiling

6. The Entranceway to St Cecilia’s Hall Music Museum

(Copyright © The University of Edinburgh 2021 CC BY )

Meditative Videos and More Drawings / Colouring books blog by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0

Share